Fashion designers seek tech support to compete

CEBU, Philippines - Fashion designers in Cebu are seeking for a proper facility to push professionalism in the industry as well as to provide technical support to the budding fashion designers in Cebu.

“If we lack technical skills how can we be at par with other designers around the world,” said Salvador Malto, a Fashion Design representative of the Creative Cebu Council.

Malto who also owns fashion designing shop in Cebu, and has established his name not only here, but also in other areas of the country, said that it is now time for the fashion industry to make a brave move and attract investors that may put up a credible Fashion Design school here.

Cebu’s capability to make it as a Fashion Design center in the Philippines, or even in Asia is not a difficult goal to achieve, especially that quite a number of talented Cebuanos have already made waves in the country and in the world.

Monique Lhuillier, who is now a successful fashion designer in Hollywood who honed her talent in the garage of their house in Cebu, is now bringing a good name for Cebu in the world’s fashion design industry.

In the domestic front, designers like Kate Torralba, Jun Escario and others have already etched their names in the Metro Manila market, even opened a shop in posh shopping malls there.

He said there are increasing number of Cebuano designers who are making waves in Manila, and some creations are even featured in the L.A. (Los Angeles, California) Fashion Week.

According to Malto, there are a lot of talented young fashion design enthusiasts who have the potential to create their own names in the fashion design industry here, but because of the competitive environment, players should be provided with a professional support, and an Academy for Fashion Design is now seen as the present need for the industry here.

“We’ve got lots of talented designers. But, when it comes to technical know-how we are zero,” Malto said.

He mentioned that there are fashion designers who create very brilliant designs, but they cannot make it into real creation, because they don’t know even how to sew, translate to measurement, among other technical know-how.

While Cebu’s extraordinary niche in design has also gained a good reputation in the world especially in fashion accessories, furniture. This time, the fashion designers in Cebu is starting to penetrate the world market.

Cebu-based fashion designers are also thriving. In fact they grow in numbers, because of the promising business and Cebu’s growing popularity as the center of design in Asia.

Because of this popularity, Malto said it is high time for Cebu to professionalize the industry in order to produce world-class fashion designers and well compete with the world market.